Take Advantage of Free Shipping Day

If you're shopping online for holiday gifts this year, it's important to be aware of the cut off dates for shipping packages so they will arrive before Christmas. These dates also determine when you need to have your online shopping finished, so that you can take advantage of free, or at least cheaper, shipping options. Nothing puts a damper on holiday cheer like opening a present only to see a picture of the gift and a note explaining that it didn't arrive in time for gifting.

Believe it or not, today is one of the first shipping cut off dates -depending on where you live. If you use Walmart's “Value” shipping option, which is free on orders of $50 or more, Walmart will only guarantee delivery by December 24th if you place your order this week. Walmart.com advertises that the Value shipping cut off date is December 15th-17th, depending on shipping location, so if you're in a rural area it would be best to order as soon as possible. We have compiled the shipping cut off dates for some of our most popular merchants on our front page today, so that you can make sure your items ship in time to get where they're going. You may recall last year that poor weather, a short holiday shopping season, and increased online ordering led to many items not being delivered in time for holiday gift giving.

If you are still looking for a gift for someone, there are hundreds of merchants that have committed to providing Free Shipping with no minimum purchase, and guaranteed delivery by December 24th, for any order placed with them by December 18th. Free Shipping Day was started as a way to extend the holiday shopping season, and traditionally falls in mid-December. This year it falls on Thursday the 18th. The idea is simple; save procrastinators more money by keeping them informed of the exact cut off for having packages delivered by Christmas. This is good for both merchants, who want you to buy things, and stressed out shoppers who wait until the absolute last minute to buy holiday gifts. Free Shipping Day, with deals much like Cyber Monday and Black Friday, has become another great time for online sales and simultaneously allows shoppers to shop online later into the season. You should definitely check out the BFAds Front Page on December 18th for the best Free Shipping Day deals available, and an up-to-date list of where you can still buy online and get free shipping! Some of the stores that have signed up are Belk, COACH, hhgregg, Levi's, Office Depot, and Sony.